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(Application filed Jan. 7 1902.)

2 Sheets Sheet L (llo Mpdel.)v

THE "cams PEI'ERS coy. mom-Luke WASHINGTON u. c.

UNITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. WOODRUFF, OF HAMBURG, NEW YORK.

SILO.

' SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent No. 699,998, dated May 13, 1902.

7 Application filed January], ll .902. Serial No. 88,783- (No model.)

To all whom it nury concern: I

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. WooDRUFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ham'- burg, in the. county of Erie and State of New York, have, invented certain new and useful Improvements in Silos; and I do declare the following tube a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and'to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in silos in which cement or concrete is used as the body of the same and which is applied to a metallic cylindrical skeleton framing and united together in a peculiar manner and to which the cement adheres and is retained thereto in a strong and substantial manner.

The object of the invention is to dispense with the burning of the tile silos and also the wooden silos, which are made more expensive in their construction and use than cement or concrete used in the present invention.

,To this end the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more in detail described, and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, to which reference is had and which fully illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my silo. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same looking down from the top of the silo. Fig. 3 is a detached View of one of the metallic sliding doors. Fig. t is a sectional view looking down from the top of the silo. Fig; 5 is a per'-: spective view of my skeleton framework, and Fig..6'is a sectional plan view of theworkin-g' or construction drum or cylinder. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the curved connecting rods or hands of the skeleton framework.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates the silo, the body of which is of cylindrical form and is composed of cement, concrete, or other'similar material.

13 BB B designate stripsor Ways secured upon the inside and outside of the silo and each side ofa continuous narrow opening extending from the bottom to the top, having formed integral therewith rabbets or grooves Z) Z), the rabbeted portion of said ways or strips projecting out from the wall of the silo, both on the inside and outside of the same at the top thereof, and within which slide a series of concave metallic outer doors 0 and inner doors 0, having perforations D DD D therethrough, through which pins E Earepassed as fastening means for said doors. The strips or ways are held in place by means of bolts passing through the ways from the inside to the outside of the silo, having heads-on the inner endsiof said bolts-andnuts onthe'oute'r ends. When the doors are raised, they are held up by means of the'pins heretofore referred to, and when the pins are withdrawn they drop down and areclosed.

F F designate. a series of holes (shown -clearly-in Figsl and 2 of the drawings)formed in the silo extending from the bottom to the top toprovide a dead'aircham ber tocondense the moisture or frost and keep the same from passing to'the inside-of the silo and spoiling the contents of the same. v

1 G designatesa metallic skeleton cylindrical frame composed-of one or more T-standards disposed at proper'distances apart extending to the fullle'ngthror height ofthe silo. I Each of the standards has a series of perforations g therein, and through which is passed a series of curved-sectional inner rods H, having their ends screw-threadedto takenuts h, by which they are secured to the standards.

I designates a series of outer curved sectional bands having their ends hooked,- as at 'i, whichhook over the T-heads of the standards and are firmlysecured thereby; These rods and bands are connectedin sections from one standard to the other circumferentially and are disposed 'at suitable distances apart, those sections which connect with the standards at the'narrow opening providedfor the doorway" being out of alinement. with the other rods and bands, these being disposed in such manner as to admit of wider spaces for one or more short blocks of wood K, which are of concave form, to be set in for forming the door-openings extending from the bottom to the top of the silo. The cement or concrete which is filled in around these blocks K is then allowed to harden around them. After hardening the blocks are removed, which leaves openings for the doors.

The door-openings and the perforations or IOO holes F F are formed in the walls of the silo by setting in the filling of cement or concrete in building up the silo by means of a templet or short working metallic cylinder, which will be hereinafter described.

In Fig. 6 I have shown the templet or short working metallic cylinder, which consists of a shell M, having an outer and an inner band or walls m m and a central hub N, from which project cross-arms n n n n a n n n, projected radially from the central hub.

The skeleton frame heretofore described is seated in the shell or cylinder, and up around this skeleton frame are built the walls of the silo, having the doorways and perforations in the walls clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. These cross-arms have upon their free ends T-heads, which serve to brace and hold all the parts of the cylinder firmly in place during the operation of filling in the cement or concrete, during which operation the tem plet or short metallic cylinder is raised upwardly from the bottom to the top about two feet at a time and the cement filled in in sections between these short cylinders or hands and at each step taken is allowed to harden or set sufiiciently to hold without the aid of the bands, when the metallic cylinder is raised again and the next step taken, similar to that of the first-and so on until the silo is finished, when the templet is entirely removed.

From the foregoing description it will be readily observed that I attach importance to the advantage derived from the construction of the silo, that a silo constructed from concrete or cement is fireproof in its character.

. The metal framework being entirely covered by the cement, it will not warp or buckle from the effects of intense heat nor corrode from the action of the silage. The walls being perforated from the bottom to thetop, a dead-air space is formed for arresting the frost and moisture, thus keeping the contents of the silo in the highest possible state of preservation. A dead-air chamber is also provided between the inner and outer sliding doors of the series of doors in order to preserve the carbonic-acid gas which accumulates during the transformation of the contents into silage. It must always be emptied from the top. The series ofdoors are thus arranged, so as to open from the top to the bottom as the contents are taken out. Another advantage is the dispensing with all seams and joints through which air could possibly enter the silo and spoil the contents, a most important feature in the preservation of succulent food, and a further advantage of the silo is its durability and economy in construction, bringing the silo system within the reach of agriculturists of moderate means.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a silo composed ofa frame formed of upright beams, spaced apart and held by rods, said frame being embedded in concrete, having air-spaces therein, in combination with a series of closable door-openings doors in said openings pins for operating said doors located in the holes in the ways B, said openings extending from top to bottom all substantially as hereinbefore shown and described.

2. In a silo composed of a frame formed of upright beams, spaced apart and held by rods said frame being embedded in concrete, having air-spaces therein, in combination with a series of closable door-openings extending from top to bottom, doors in said openings pins located in the holes in the ways B, and grooved strips or ways I on the inner and outer sides of the silo, and each side of a continuous narrow opening extending from top to bottom all substantially as hereinbefore described.

3. Asilo composed of a frame formed of upright beams spaced apart and held by rods, said frame being embedded in concrete having air-spaces therein.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN \V. IVOODRUFF.

Witnesses:

HARRY SCHMIDT, WM. I-I. DE LACY. 

